NCJ Number
194929
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Dated: 2001 Pages: 73-88
Date Published
2001
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationships of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse to emotional (internalizing) and behavioral (externalizing) problems among incarcerated girls and boys.
Abstract
The sample consisted of 842 juveniles, 84.2 percent of whom were males, 53.6 percent African-American, 40 percent Caucasian, and 7.4 percent "other." Participants were youth who were remanded to the correctional facilities within a statewide juvenile correctional system in a southern U.S. State. Each participant completed a structured interview that focused on abuse history, emotional and behavioral difficulties, and demographic characteristics. Multiple regression analyses indicated that girls were more likely than boys to internalize their problems. The only abuse variable that was positively and significantly associated with emotional problems was emotional abuse. Greater behavioral problems were significantly related to youths being younger in age, white ethnicity, history of sexual abuse, and history of physical abuse. Overall, there were gender differences for internalizing problems, but not for externalizing problems among incarcerated adolescents. Furthermore, physical and sexual abuses were related to externalizing problems, but not to internalizing problems. Thus, different types of abuse apparently have different effects on adolescent behavior. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. 3 tables and 46 references